Saturday 5 February 2011

The weekend arrives...

and with it comes my last Coffee Tree delivery of the week...beginning with these Corn & Cheddar Muffins. I love savoury muffins, still warm and crusted with cheese...but I'm not sure how they'll go down with the customers. We British are a funny race. Muffins = Sweet. So, I caught them out...I called them Popovers! Now, for my American readers...I know that these aren't popovers at all. But as we don't have those here, I thought it a suitably flabbergasting word to describe these without using the 'M' word! I hope that it worked, because I was really pleased with the way they turned out...
I used both corn kernels and polenta/cornmeal...plus LOTS of extra matured, sharp cheddar. Yum.

Next were these Toffee Bars.Another recipe from my new Fat Witch Bakery cookbook. Again, I twiddled the recipe...this time doubling the topping ingredients as I didn't think that the brown sugar cream layer would be deep enough. I'm glad I did. I sprinkled with powdered sugar too for added contrast...
And lastly, I made a Coconut Cake with Passionfruit Glaze...
The cake is 1 and 1/2 times the recipe for Coconut Tea Cake from the wonderful Dorie Greenspan's book 'Baking -from my home to yours' which has given me so much inspiration that I should hate to be without it! It's a beautiful white and intensely coconutty cake which doesn't need filling (I think this would detract from it's subtle flavour) but I like to make a glaze from powdered sugar and fresh passionfruit pulp as I think it sets the tropical themes off nicely and gives a beautifully fragrant 'tang' too.

It does drip a little down the sides...but that's part of it's authentic homemade charm (as I like to tell myself!)

I'd love to share a slice with you now, over a cup of hot Earl Grey tea. You'd be so welcome in my cosy kitchen this blustery but fairly warm afternoon!

Enjoy your weekend xo

9 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh Rachel, would I love to come visit you and have a cup of tea and a piece of that scrumpious cake!.. Oh and your M's look amazing and I think Popovers sound like a new M without using the word M...smile..

    Enjoy your day..thanks for making me soooo hungry...ha

    Blessings..
    xoxo Gert

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  2. Without fail my mouth waters every time I see your pictures of your beautiful creations. Those savory "Popovers" certainly look yummy. What a great pairing of flavors, coconut and passion fruit, yum. And the brownies look divine.

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  3. I really wish I could come over too and share in the tea and cake. Like your name change, I might have gone a bit daft and said muffovers!
    Have a good rest of weekend.

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  4. Ahh, if I were in your cozy kitchen, I would love a corn and cheddar M! Sounds delicious and look scrumptious! I am sure customers will drool over them. Your toffee bars and coconut cake look delectable too. People must have a hard time picking just one, and have to try 1 of each. I know I would!! BTW, the coconut cake looks so tall and gorgeous! xxoo

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  5. Well Rachel you've gone and done it now. I'm sitting here reading and tasting everything in the pictures and stuck with a terrible quandary. Which do I want to eat. Which indeed. In short order the obvious answer presented itself. Have the corn cheddar first, segue into the coconut passionfruit, both of which look utterly fantastic, then of course have the brownie at the end. At least you're allowing me to be a glutton without punishment of calories! They really do look wonderful and yes here muffins are sweet OR savory. I often put blueberries into corn muffins (nobody else does this) so mine are both. WANT IT ALL!

    I've made many of the cookies in Baking and have been really happy with them. The ones with the jam in them are great, tho I add more jam and roll the dough balls in some sugar before baking.

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  6. Dearest Rachel,
    I must say that I like the word muffin- it's rather cute....how about puffins? I make a 'popover' of sorts that also has a savory sausage in it....oh my....what a lovely accompanying dish to some eggs in the morning! In the west, they like to pour gravy all over them, but heavens NO! LOVELY Rachel....all so lovely!!!!
    xx Joann

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  7. It is almost 10:00pm and now I am hungry, Rachel! Ha! Oh, my, everything looks so delicious! Really love the savory M/popovers...and wouldn't it be a very special treat to come over for tea and a goodie?!!
    Now, to sleep and dream of that day! Hugs, Sherry xx

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  8. Can't wait for your cookbook! And the passionfruit glaze! I just found a source for fresh passionfruit after years of 'fruitless' searching. Love both your blogs which I have just stumbled upon. Keep writing. I am in the Pacific Northwest, USA--land of cherries, apples, pears, and berries (the best strawberries ever). So love all the fruits you use in your baking.
    And by the way, this is home to Rose's Delicatessen (Rose Birnbaum!), although it's nothing like 40 years ago. The chocolate cake frosted with fudge was always my weakness. Wish I could still get it. Took 2 huge.

    viola

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  9. I too have found savoury muffins are a bit of a shock for customers, even though cheese scones are a hit! I may have to pinch your creativity and name them popovers too.
    Gosh I adore Dorie Greenspan, and that coconut tea cake is one of my faves, so sunny and happy it really brightens a grey February day.
    Morwenna
    xoxo

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